My dentist’s office on Eureka Way was flooded this afternoon. My appointment cancelled, I drove in the pounding rain toward downtown.
Just east of Magnolia Avenue, Eureka Way’s asphalt was covered by shallow brown waves of moving water. Water lapped at the curbs. Water rooster-tailed high in the air from moving tires. Rainwater that might normally have washed gently down into storm drains did a reverse, projectile flush. It backed up into the street, and finding nowhere to hide, it joined other water that joined more water, all searching for a place to rest.
Traffic waded and rolled slowly through water as drivers tried to imagine where lanes might be.
On Eureka Way in front of Burger King, A Volkswagen-size geyser spewed a rolling boil of water in the lane nearest the restaurant’s sidewalk.
And in one section of Placer Street between Pleasant Street and Buenaventura Blvd., a flooded area convinced all but the biggest vehicles to turn around and seek another route.
Meanwhile, hours earlier, Brian Crane, director of Redding’s Traffic and Engineering department, had already called out every possible person for help: He called upon the city’s fire and police departments, he called upon employees who knew everything about storm drains, sewers, roads and streets.
Together they cleared debris, unblocked roads, directed traffic, and assisted motorists whose vehicles stalled in deep water.
By the way, Crane said that contrary to what some may believe, this afternoon’s flooding was not caused by blocked storm drains. Rather, he said the streets flooded after the drains were finally overwhelmed by too much water, dumped on the system too quickly for it to handle.
Last, Crane cautioned us to stay off the roads during storms like today’s. He suggested drivers not venture into water more than a few inches deep. He said that although the storm had passed west Redding, and the waters there were already receding, he was still concerned about areas of north and east Redding, where the storm was expected to hit next.
Please, everyone, be safe and dry.
And feel free to submit your weather photos or videos to anewscafe@gmail.com, and your comments and updates below.
Click here for City of Redding information about weather and flooding conditions.
Click here for Jim Dyar’s post and photos of flooded areas near downtown Redding.
